Contributions are deductible in the year made. Thus, donations charged to a credit card before the end of 2014 count for 2014. This is true even if the credit card bill isn't paid until 2015. Also, checks count for 2014 as long as they are mailed in 2014 and clear, shortly thereafter.

Americans give, on average, about 3 percent of their income to charity, a figure that has not budged significantly for decades.

More than 30% of annual giving via Network for Good's donation processing system is during December.

Charity Navigator's data shows that 7 out of 10 charities we've evaluated spend at least 75% of their budget on the programs and services they exist to provide. And 9 out of 10 spend at least 65%.

Five types of charities have reached or surpassed all-time high giving levels since the recession ended in mid-2009. Giving to Education charities was up 8.9% to $52.07 billion. Donations to Human Services charities were up 2.2% to $41.51 billion. Foundations saw an increase of 15.5% to $35.74 billion. Health charities experienced an increase of 6% to $31.86 billion. Charities that focus on the environment / Animals saw an increase of 7.5% to $9.72 billion.

We offer the following list as a quick reference guide to the highest and lowest-rated charity in each cause that we evaluate. In providing this list, our goal is to help you navigate the crowded charitable marketplace and make intelligent giving decisions.View the List